President-elect Donald Trump may have had his inauguration outside in 2017, but that will not be the case this year because of the cold. This year the main events, including the inaugural address, will take place inside the Capitol rotunda in Washington.
The last time this happened was 40 years ago when Ronald Reagan moved his second inaugural inside, also because of an Arctic blast.
Still, the uniquely American tradition of inaugurating presidents at the Capitol continues, even if weather was not as much of a factor for much of American history.
We didn't always hold inaugurations in January. From George Washington to Franklin Roosevelt, inaugurations actually took place in March, until the 20th Amendment to the Constitution changed that in the 1930s.
The location of the inaugural has also changed over the years.
Presidents from Andrew Jackson to Jimmy Carter were inaugurated on the east side of the Capitol. Ronald Reagan's inauguration in 1981 that changed the setting to the side overlooking the National Mall.
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The most coveted seats at inaugurations are always the ones closest to the incoming commander in chief. That is no different this year. However, an indoor inauguration will offer considerably fewer seats.
All of the country's living presidents are expected to attend despite the change of venue, including outgoing President Joe Biden. But that hasn't always been the case either.
John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Johnson, Woodrow Wilson, Richard Nixon, and Donald Trump four years ago did not attend the inauguration of their successor.
The hallmark of every inauguration is the inaugural address. George Washington gave the shortest one at just 135 words in 1793. The longest was William Henry Harrison's. It took nearly two hours to deliver.
Not every president has been inaugurated in Washington. George Washington first took the oath of office in New York City, and his second inauguration occurred in Philadelphia. John Adams was also inaugurated there.
Thomas Jefferson was the first to be inaugurated at the Capitol.
While much has changed over the centuries, one thing has remained the same on Inauguration Day: The oath of office, as prescribed by the U.S. Constitution.
